A little less than twelve months ago, Espanyol traveled to the island of La Palma to face the modest Atlético El Paso, a team from one of the towns most affected by the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. A year later, destiny made them return to the island yesterday, this time on the other side of the mountain that became famous in 2021, to face the Messenger, which Luis García's team defeated sufficiently to reach the second round of the King's Cup.
The B unit of the Spanish team took the tie against a rival from the Second Federation, equivalent to the old Third Division, very seriously and got the tie back on track in the first half. Two goals from Salvi Sánchez in two minutes sealed a match in which the locals never had a chance.
This Espanyol needed some joy, for which the Second Division is choking more than expected. Two consecutive defeats against direct rivals have sown doubts in the environment, even though the locker room claims to remain calm. Beyond the results, the team has shown defensive and offensive problems that seemed solved.
Yesterday, in La Palma and against a much inferior rival, the team once again showed commitment from the start. The coach completely changed the team with the exception of the central couple and the performance was very high. Salvi, with two goals, and Keita Baldé, who continues to regain physical fitness after his muscle injury, stood out in particular.
The Sanlúcar de Barrameda winger was the great offensive protagonist of the night. The best occasions were born from his boots. Before half an hour he tested Padilla with a cross shot that the goalkeeper rejected. Shortly after, Ramón Ramos crossed from the left and at the penalty spot Salvi scored the first goal of the game. And just two minutes later he sentenced after a gift from Padilla. The goalkeeper went forward to clear but sent the ball towards the blue and white player, who scored at will without opposition due to the passivity of the local defense.
In the second half, the Canaries stretched and took a step forward in search of something positive, although Joan Garcia did not have much work. The match lost intensity as the minutes passed and the Perico coach gave prominence to Joan Puig, Aguado and Jofre, who was close to scoring the third.
The blue and white team did their homework and emerged emotionally strengthened from a very long trip, which could take its toll on next Friday's duel against Eibar.
